Battle of the Atlantic: A Catalog of Shipwrecks off North Carolina’s Coast from the Second World War

Personal Author: Hoyt J; Bright J; Hoffman W; Carrier B; Marx D; Richards N; Sassaorossi W; Davis K; Wagner J; McCord J

Publication Title: Battle of the Atlantic: A Catalog of Shipwrecks off North Carolina’s Coast from the Second World War

Subject: Cultural; Heritage and Marine Archaeology
Marine Archaeological Resources
Atlantic; Battle; World War II; WWII; Shipwreck; Ship; Vessel; U-boat; Tanker; Merchant; Survey; Mapping; Side-scan; Multi-beam; Mosaic; Allied; Axis; Archaeology; Site; AUV; ROV; Scuba; Dive

CSE Reference: Hoyt J, Bright J, Hoffman W, Carrier B, Marx D, Richards N, Sassaorossi W, Davis K, Wagner J, McCord J (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Newport News, VA). 2021. Battle of the Atlantic: a catalog of shipwrecks off North Carolina’s coast from the Second World War. Sterling (VA): US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. 603 p. Obligation No.: M10PG00048. Report No.: OCS Study BOEM 2021-076 and NOAA Maritime Heritage Report Series Number 6. URL: https://espis.boem.gov/Final%20Reports/BOEM_2021-076.pdf

Abstract: The Battle of the Atlantic project developed primarily from overlapping information needs of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) regarding World War II (WWII) archaeological sites on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) off North Carolina. NOAA’s interest in WWII heritage sites began in 2008, and BOEM and NOAA formally committed to a multi-year collaboration to document WWII casualties offshore North Carolina through an Interagency Agreement, which was executed in 2010 and extended annually through 2016. Field research and data analyses were further supported with the assistance of other Federal and State partners and also academic institutions. The goal of this study was to develop an inventory of Axis and Allied merchant and military vessels lost in this region during WWII and to consider National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) significance of these sites, both individually and collectively, as part of the Battle of the Atlantic. Varying levels of documentation and survey were conducted on 40 individual sites associated with the Battle of the Atlantic, and nearly 140 square miles of seabed were mapped and assessed for potential cultural materials. The authors intend that this project will foster further research, long-term monitoring, public outreach, and educational efforts in support of a holistic historical and archaeological assessment of the Battle of the Atlantic.